Mould & mildew problems

We had the same problem with a canvas tent, our own fault, had to pack it up damp and wasn't able to put it back up for a couple of days, it was a disaster, when we finally put it up it was covered in mould. We found that exit mould worked along with pretty much any of that type of product. Spray the affected area, wait a few minutes and then wash off, make sure you wash it thoroughly. You may want to test a small area first but as long as you wash it off well you shouldn't have any problems. Depending on the colour of the canvas and the age as to whether or not you will notice any colour change, we didn't notice any with ours.

If the mould is only fairly new then it should come off quite easily, however if it is old then you may need to treat it a couple of times and even then may only lighten rather than totally disappear.

It took us a few days and lots of bottle of cleaner to clean the whole tent as it was a large cabin style tent with mould on every conceivable surface. But it did come up looking like new once we were finished. We have certainly learnt our lesson and even if it is raining cats and dogs when we get home after a trip we are still putting it up to dry.

Good luck

Kerrie

Hi Bruce,

We were advised when we brought our camper trailer to only ever clean the canvas with water and a light sponge and to avoid the use of chemicals or heavy scrubbing on the canvas.

I tried this once on a small section that had mould on it and after letting it dry in the sun we got a good result.

Getting them fully dry before packing away is the ticket.

Have a good one.

Hi Bruce,

One of my fellow 4WD club members runs a company here in Brisbane that has an excellent reputation for their mould and mildew remover.

If you are interested contact Barbara at B Industries on (07) 5428 7285.

Patrick

Any area of canvas that has been in contact with any cleaner, anti-mould solution or even soap etc MUST be retreated with a water-proofing treatment!

Yep - tread carefully with home remedies - for example, dishwashing detergent can take a certain amount of colour out of the canvas in a flash - the various canvas makers say use nothing more than fresh water. With the mould IN the fabric though you have an issue of course, but test any planned action first if possible.